1. The Incorporation of
the Action-Oriented
Approach in the EFL
Costa Rican
Instruction
By: Ana Marcela Montenegro Sánchez
Sam Houston State University

2. “”
~BusyTeacher.org~

3. What do we know about the Action
Oriented Approach?
What is the difference between Action
Oriented Approach and Communicative
Approach?

4. What is the Action Oriented Approach?
“The AOA is “views users and learners of a language primarily as ‘social agents’, i.e. members of
society who have tasks (not exclusively language-related) to accomplish in a given set of
circumstances, in a specific environment and within a particular field of action”
(Delibaş & Günday, 2016, p. 148).
Action Oriented Approach
General Components
Language
Competences
Tasks
Student as a
social agent
Implications

5. Student as a Social Agent
The learner performs
the action in a social
context
The learner is aware
of the learning goal
The learner learns
through social actions

7. How do Learners Achieve the Development of their
Linguistic Goals?
General Competences
•Facts
•Skills
•Self-Knowledge
•Ability to Learn
•Communicative
Language Competences
• Linguistic
•Sociolinguistic
•Pragmatic
Competences

10. The Tasks
Real-World
Actions
Purposeful
Action
Range of
Complexity
Activity
Based

11. The Tasks
Students should be able
to face everyday life
situations that are core in
the lesson development.
The tasks are open-ended
and complex, requiring a
variety of knowledge and
skills.
Tasks are acts of speech,
or words and group of
words that enable
students to
communicate for a
specific purpose.
Tasks should actively
involve learners in a
meaningful
communication, which is
relevant and challenging,
but feasible for the
students.

16. Pedagogical Mediation
Pre-Teaching
Pre-Task
Task Rehearsal
Task Completion
Task Assessment

17. Pre-Teaching
Warm Up
• Engages students and
motivates them to start
learning.
Activation of Background
Knowledge
• Helps students related
their lived experiences
(schemata) with the
new information.
Relatable experiences.
Modeling
• Teacher models what
they expect students
accomplish during the
lesson.
Clarifying
• Students consolidate
the knowledge.
Pre
Task
Activation of
students’ prior
knowledge to carry
out a specific task
and to reach a
specific goal
(listening, reading,
spoken production,
spoken interaction,
writing) placing
emphasis on the
forms, sounds and
vocabulary words
within a theme and
scenario.
Task
Rehearsal
An activity that
provides students
with language
practice for
successful task
completion. It is
student-centered.
Students practice
with Teacher´s help.
Task
Completion
Learners perform in
oral, written
comprehension,
oral or in written
production tasks.
The purpose of this
task is for students
to demonstrate if
they have reached
the goal.
Task
Assessment
Teacher´s assessment
of the task, self and
peer assessment for
feedback on task
performance.
It could require repair
and reinforcement by
a supplementary task
if the goal has not
been reached by
most of the students
Pedagogical Mediation

18. UNIT SCENARIOS VOCABULARY AND
GRAMMAR IN CONTEXT
AOA ACTIVITIES ASSESSMENT
Unit 1
I Grade
All about me Hi! Hello! Good
morning, Good
afternoon, Good
evening, How are
you?
Good-bye, bye,
see you, see you
later.
My name is…
I am from… /
7 years old.
‘I live in…
A teacher asks you to greet a
new student and to introduce
yourself. Help this person feel at
home by answering questions
about yourself such as: where
you live, how old you are, and
what is your favorite subject.
Action Oriented Approach Suggested Activities For I & II
Cycles

19. WRITING ACTIVITIES

20. Found Poetry Contest

21. Why Found Poetry in Your EFL Class?
F.P. is a helpful resource to
engage ELs in writing
poems that may have no
sense, but that may help
them to write a simple or
complex piece of writing
In F.P students must
choose language that is
particularly meaningful or
interesting to them and
organize the language
around a theme or
message.

22. Procedures for Found Poetry
1. Students create a list of
words, phrases, and quotations
5. Share poems
2.Students identify a theme and
message
6. Students decide who is the
winner.
3.Students select additional
language
4. Students compose a poem
https://www.facinghistory.org/resource-library/teaching-strategies/found-poems
https://www.facinghistory.org/sites/default/files/Creating_a_Found_Poem_1.pdf

23. Self -Portrait

24. Self-Portrait Instructions
• Grab a piece of paper, pen or pencil and a mirror or the camera of
your cellphone.
• Look at yourself in the mirror and begin by placing your pencil on the
paper and drawing a continuous line.
• Don't pick up your pencil and try not to look at the paper! In the end
you will have a single continuous line self portrait.
• Add color using water color, crayons, pencils crayons pastels or
whatever you have handy.
• If you like , go back over the lines with black marker for more
contrast.

25. Self-Portrait Instructions
• Use one of the following prompts to write on the background of your page.
• Don't worry about perfection or saying the right thing, just start with the
prompt and see where it takes you.
• - I am the beautiful messy part of you that....
- When I let go...
- I celebrate....
- This man/woman is...
• Look back at your writing and portrait and give the piece a title.
• If you like, repeat this process and see how different each portrait is.
• As you write notice how the portrait changes your reflections.

26. COMICS!

27. Why Using Comics in the EFL
Classroom?
1. It is fun
2. It allows creativity with language and art
3. Uses grammar and vocabulary in context

28. How to Use Comics in EFL Writing?
Comics can promote the
acquisition of L2 pragmatic
intelligence as students
discuss “appropriate”
responses.
Pragmatic
Intelligence:
Politeness and
Sarcasm

29. How to Use Comics in EFL Writing?
Comics can encourage to
think “out of the box” and
create new endings or
beginnings.
Sequencing and
Prediction

30. Jigsaw

31. Jigsaw
Source: https://americanenglish.state.gov/files/ae/resource_files/comicsinlangclassroom-ning.pdf

32. Teaching Writing to EFL Students
with Digital Tools!!
Source: https://bridge.edu/tefl/blog/use-emojis-to-teach-english/

33. Why Using Emojis in your EFL Class?
Young ELs can find the process of writing
more engaging using Emojis
ELs can use daily life situations that are
relevant and appealing to their learning
process
ELs can use digital technologies in the
classrooms

34. How to Use Emojis in your EFL
Instruction
1. Create a representation of a
daily life situation using Emojis
through SMS text.
2. Have the students to work in
pairs (or in a bigger group) to
write sentences based on
present or past tense.
Steps:
4. Variation: ELs can create the
SMS texts and share them with
other students to have a variety
of stories.
3.ELs can use their phones or
you can create the handouts
using your own phone and print
them for the EL’s to work in
groups.

35. Emoji Writing Example
• Example: I was sick. I threw
up, because I ate so much
junk food. I went to the
hospital. The doctor gave me
a shot and some pills. Then, I
went home. I slept for a few
hours. After that I felt much
better.

36. Story Dice!!!!

37. Story Dice Activities
1. Charades: ELs can roll the dice and
determine which role he/she will be
performing.
2. Creating Stories: ELs can work individually
or in groups to create their own stories using a
template or from scratch. ELs can roll the dice
as many times as they decide to create their
stories.
3. Poems: ELs can create poems rolling the
dice. Students can work in pairs or in groups.
4. Writing Prompts: When students do not have
ideas to write sentences, they can roll the dice
and start writing.

38. Examples

39. Some Apps you Can USE!!!
Thinkamingo Story Dice

40. Comic Apps!
•Comics Head App •Comics book App

41. Comic Strip App

42. ReadWriteThink Comic Creator
• http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/student-interactives/comic-creator-30021.html

43. SPEAKING ACTIVITIES

44. Sing in the Class with Karaoke!
• Singing is not an overrated activity for
the students to practice the language
skills. This activity can be part of the
EFL classroom as well.
• To have students choose their favorite
songs could be a helpful strategy to
engage them to practice the target
language!
• At the beginning students might feel
shy to sing, but if you create a safe
environment, it will ease students’
fear!
• Let’s watch this video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz
MrXFCU-m0

45. Fun Prompt Questions to Start Speaking in
Class!
• Use a prompt question to have
students speak in your class .
• Write the questions in different
pieces of paper and put them in
a box.
• Students play “hot potato”.
• When the teacher says “stop”,
the student who has the ball,
draws a slip of paper.
• The student reads the question
aloud and answer it.

46. Mix-Freeze-Pair
• With this activity, students will have the
opportunity to talk with their classmates about
different topics studied in class.
• STEPS
1. Teacher announces “mix” and students walk
around the classroom.
2. Teachers calls “freeze "and students stop.
3. Teacher announces “pair” and students find a
partner.
4. Teacher announces discussion topic or task for
pair work.
5. Pairs discuss a topic or perform a task
previously established by the teacher.
6. Students mix, freeze, and pair for each new
topic or task.

47. 10x10 Activity
• This strategy is used for
students to analyze a
piece of artwork.
• The students get into
small groups and in the
small groups they have
to list 10 observations
they make about the
piece of art and 10
questions they have.
• The students share with
their classmates and
teachers what the 10
aspects they observed.

48. Wordless Picture Book Speaking Activities
• Wordless picture books can be helpful for EFL students to express
their ideas creatively.
• WPBs can be used in the EFL classrooms to have students listen write
their own stories, based on their L2 level.
• WPBs can used as a tool to have the students describe different
settings and add vocabulary into context.
• There are different ways of using WPBs in your classrooms, we only
need our imagination!!!

49. The Lion and the Mouse
Author:
Jerry Pinkney

50. The Lion and the Mouse

51. The Flower Man
Author:
Mark Ludy

52. The Flower Man

53. Anno’s Journey

54. Anno’s Journey

55. Functional Language for ELF
Learners

56. Expressing an Opinion
• If you ask me…/ As for me
• The way I see it ….
• Personally, I think…
• I suppose/ I ‘d say that…
• If you want my opinion…
Conceding an argument:
• Perhaps you’re right.
• OK, you win.
• You’ve convinced me.

57. Checking for Understanding
• See what I mean?
• What are you saying?
• You mean ….?
• what do you mean?
• what I’m trying to say
• Are you saying that…?
• Sorry, I didn’t catch that…

58. Showing Interest in a Conversation
• That’s interesting/ nice / amazing/ incredible
• Wow!
• Oh, I see.
• Right.
• No way!
• You’re joking!
• Really?

59. Expressing STRONG Agreement
 I agree with you one hundred percent.
 I couldn’t agree more.
 I totally agree with you
 I completely agree.
 That’s so true./ That’s a brilliant idea
 Absolutely.
 You’ re right
 Exactly
.

60. Expressing Disagreement
 I totally disagree. (with you/ with this idea)
 No way! (slang)
 I’m afraid I can’t agree with you.
 Well, to be honest..
 On the contrary.(formal)
 it’s out of the question

61. Expressing Mild Disagreement
 I agree with you up to a point.
 It sounds interesting, but…
 Yes, that’s a very good idea but….
 Well yes but…
 That’s true but…
 You could be right.
 I get your point, but…
 Yes, I see your point but…

62. Making Suggestions
• How about (verb in ING) trying a new marketing strategy?
• What about …..+ (VERB ending in ING )?
• What about the new products we launched?
• WHAT IF… we (verb in the past) tried a new strategy?
• Why not …?
• SHALL we try a new…..?
• I think we SHOULD …
• We ‘d better try a new marketing strategy
• We need to ……. / LET’S try a new….
• Perhaps we could …?
• We COULD try a new ….

63. LISTENING ACTIVITIES

64. Investigative Journalist

65. Debates

66. It’s your Turn to Teach a Class

67. I got lost!

68. News Exercises

69. Four-Corner Book
• Teacher reads a story that has
characters, setting, a problem, and a
solution.
• The students make a foldable following
the teachers’ instructions.
• The teacher tells the students they
need to identify the aspects they wrote
in the foldable during the reading aloud.
• The students need to listen to the
teacher carefully.
• After the reading, the students
complete the four-corner book with
pictures or sentences according to what
they understood from the story.

70. And the next word is …
• Choose a piece of audio.
• Tell the students the topic of the audio.
• Play a short section and then click on the pause/stop
button.
• Ask the students to predict the next word (they can do
this by whispering their ideas to the student sitting next
to them).
• Click play and let the students hear the word.
• Don't make any comments at this point.
• Play another section and repeat the process.
• Do this with the whole of the audio.
• At the end ask the students how successful they were in
predicting the next word.
• You will be able to tell from the students reactions how
well they are doing.

71. READING ACTIVITIES

72. Retell What’s the Most Important by
Making Connections to the Problem
• Provide with a book or
reading passage that has
a conflict.
• Ask students to find the
character’s main
problem.
• Have students find the
pages where the
character tries to solve
the problem.
• Students retell those
pages and try to find the
solution to the at the
end.
The character’s
problem is:
________________
________________
The character tries
to solve the
problem by:
________________
________________
The character’s
solution at the end
is….
________________
Provide a different
solution to the
character’s problem
________________
________________

73. Summarizing with
“Somebody…Wanted...But...So...”
• Students read a
passage of a story.
• The teacher provides a
handout to the
students with
questions that will help
them think about
different situations
that happened in the
reading.

75. Making Connections
• Students read a
passage about a story.
• EFL teacher asks
students to think
about the passage and
make the connections
according to the
prompts they read.

77. Literature Circles

78. What are Literature Circles?
• Literature circles for EFL students might be a helpful
activity to have students share their thoughts and ideas
about a book they read.
• EFL learners have the chance to discuss a book, depending
on their L2 level.
• Students work in groups of five or four. They are assigned
roles that will guide them during the reading.

79. How to Implement LC in an EFL Class?
1. EFL learners should have the choice to decide on the book they
would like to read. Then, they read the books independently.
2. While reading, they use a notebook or sticky notes to
write what they like about the book to share in the circle.
3. Students have the time in class to discuss the book they
are reading.

80. Literature Circle Roles

81. Reader’s Theater

82. What is Reader’s Theater?
• RT is an oral presentation
of drama, prose, or poetry
by two or more readers.
These participants read
expressively from a
script.

83. Advantages of
Reader’s Theater For
EFL Classrooms
EFLs can benefit from RT by:
• having opportunities to read a text many times to
develop fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension.
• rehearsing and practicing their parts in the script
that would keep them engaged in the reading
process.
• having the opportunity to practice speaking skills,
such as pronunciation, inflection, expression, and
varied volume.
• feeling less anxious to read in the target
language, since they do not memorize a text or
script.
How to Get Started with Reader’s Theater
in your Class?
• Introduce RT to your students by explaining what
this is about.
• Select a story that is according to your ELs’ level. You
can use different stories or only one for the whole
class.
• Read through the script along with your students to
practice the pronunciation and spot vocabulary
words that they might find difficult to pronounce.
• Assign roles to the students depending on their
level (students can decide on the role they want to
perform).
• Have students practice in class and at home before
the performance
Watch this video!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=utWd8TF_kwQ

84. Dr. Chase Young’s RT Video

85. Fun Poetry Reading

86. Poems Examples

87. My Brother Ate
My Smartphone
with Audio

88. Poems Examples
Little Boy Blue, Please Cover Your Nose
Little Boy Blue,
Please cover your nose.
You sneezed on Miss Muffet
And ruined her clothes.
You sprayed Mother Hubbard,
And now she is sick.
You put out the fire
On Jack’s candlestick.
Your sneeze is the reason
Why Humpty fell down.
You drenched Yankee Doodle
When he came to town.
The blind mice are angry!
The sheep are upset!
From now on use tissues
So no one gets wet!
(to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star")
Tinkle, tinkle, little bat,
Wonder where the potty’s at?
Straight ahead or to the right?
Caves are very dark at night.
Little bat, why do you frown?
Did you tinkle upside down?

89. Reading Poem Activity
Description
• A high school student from Costa
Rica, Sharon, was given different
options to pick a poem that was
appealing to her.
• After picking the poem that she
liked the most, she used her App
audio recording without rehearsing
the poem.
• Then, she stopped the recording
and read the poem several times
to become familiar with the words
and pronunciation.
• Finally, she read the poem again.
Before
After

90. Reading Poem Activity
• What do you think about Sharon’s Experience?
• What does Sharon think about her Experience?

91. Newspapers

92. How to Use Newspapers in the EFL
Classroom?
1. Headlines Matching
2. Newspaper Treasure Hunt
3. News Mix and Match

93. Matching Headlines
1. Copy newspapers articles and their
headlines and separate them.
2. Use a different newspaper for each
group of 4 or 4 students.
3. Ask each group to match the articles
to the correct headlines.
4. When they’ve matched them give the
relevant newspaper to the groups and
ask them to find the report and check
if they have chosen the correct
headlined for the story.

94. Newspaper Treasure Hunt
1. For this activity you will need a pile of old
newspapers, enough to distribute amongst teams
of 4-5 students.
2. Write a list of articles / words / pictures that
the students need to find in the newspapers,
and give a copy of the list to the teams.
3. Tell them to cut out their 'treasures' and glue
them next to the appropriate word in the list (or
make a note of the page number).
Possible list:
A job advert
Some good news
Some bad news
Reference to a famous political figure
News about a star
Weather forecast
News about a sport
Name of a country
Favorite news item

95. Mix and Match
1. Cut newspaper articles into paragraphs
and scatter them through out the
class.
2. Put the students in pairs and give them
the headline of the article they need
to find.
3. Students then have to find the other
paragraphs that make up the whole
article.
4. Tell them how many paragraphs they
need for each article and that they
need to focus on looking for parallel
vocabulary.,
5. They need to negotiate with other
students to get the paragraphs they
need.